Anyone with a drop of English, Irish, Scottish or Welsh blood may experience a tear to the eye on hearing these beautiful and poignant performances of simple folksongs.

Australia’s very own Steve Davislim and Simone Young are outstanding in these 24 Benjamin Britten arrangements, never once missing a beat. Standout moments occur in The Sally Garden, The Ash Grove, O Waly Waly, Greensleeves and The Last Rose of Summer, but the whole disc is delightful. Melba’s packaging and presentation is top notch.

This is a SACD/hybrid playable on all CD players with sound quality 10/10. This CD will certainly be on my list of top 10 recordings for 2009.